@LookUponMyWorks: It's really more the sentiment of the lyrics than anything else. I'm seeing more and more people behave poorly when things aren't handed to them the way that they're used to. It becomes more evident/worse the younger they are. This is, of course, a blanket statement so there are outliers, but I just read Mike's piece and the song popped into my head, thought it was somewhat relevant and thought I would share.
You're also right, it's very laughable that she's bemoaning creature comforts when she has absolutely nothing to worry about, especially with Blake Shelton as her partner in crime.

So I don't know how many Billfolders listen to country music, but I've been on a wicked country kick lately and there's one song that popped into my mind after reading Mike's post above: "Automatic" by Miranda Lambert. The specific lyrics I'm thinking of are part of the chorus:
Hey whatever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand
Cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seemed so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic
Personally I've been feeling very nostalgic lately for simpler times. This song is just another drop in the bucket. Give it a listen.

I would add "free work that is done for the benefit of your resume."
I'm pursuing volunteer work in my field (event planning) that will help to bolster my resume and make me a more marketable candidate in an otherwise miserable job market. That, I think, should be the/a third rule. Unless that's inherently covered under the "any work where you are hoping for exposure or future paid work" caveat. If so, then I think those two rules are fine.

@Josh Michtom@facebook: I absolutely agree that it shouldn't be about minimalism. Frankly, in my mind, that dilutes the inequality argument (in a relatively perverted and child-like fashion) down to, "Oh, blank's too expensive, well I suppose I can live without that because I'm better than you." Whether the "blank" is food, clothing, furniture, TV, phone, etc. etc. It makes me think "when is enough, enough?"
I, too, believe that this medium is the right way to communally navigate the financial miasma that we presently have no choice but to breathe. I thank the brilliant mind who came up with the idea for this site and made it a reality. My concern, however, is that we don't succumb to the temptation to use this site to bemoan our respective stations and instead rise and march to the beat of the drummer you so wonderfully put to print.
I dearly hope that you (or another, or many others like you) succeed in achieving a higher plane of financial understanding and are able to share it with TheBillfold class. I know I would truly enjoy reading that discovery.

@jmdj: Agreed. I stopped reading for awhile because it became less about "Ok, I'm making progress, life may not be awesome but it's getting there" and more "You're f*cked too? Oh, well great. Another one bites the dust."
But I think that attitude is ours to change. It's one of the many reasons why I loved this post so much. Whether it was a pointed diatribe or philosophic musing is for someone else to decide; it feels, in and of itself, like a call to arms for our committed community to collectively re-write financial literacy for what it should be and not what it was.
I see a lot of hope here and am personally really hoping that others do too.

Charles Dickens deals very heavily in economy, though all his works are fictitious (with anywhere from a drop to a healthy dollop of autobiography in there for good measure).
I really liked this piece. Although, isn't that writing that you spoke of what TheBillfold is all about? Or are we merely the blind leading the blind?

It's a lovely sentiment and I think it would work. Start it at alternative coffee houses and go from there. It may never pick up in the mainstream, but it certainly would be a hit in the independent scene.
As for those people who abuse the system or who are cheap jerks? Personally, I think that the majority of people would honor that system, with the exception of a few bad apples (and if those bad apples made regular appearances at the coffee house, then who's to say they can't be banned; it's happened before, and will happen again).